Bahrain digs unveil one of oldest civilisations

BBC ^ | 21 May 2013 | Sylvia Smith

[Cronos]

Excavations at an archaeological site in Bahrain are shedding light on one of the oldest trading civilisations.

The site in Bahrain, thought to be the location of the enigmatic Dilmun civilisation

Dilmun, one of most important ancient civilisations of the region and said to date to the third millennium BC, was a hub on a major trading route between Mesopotamia - the world's oldest civilisation - and the Indus Valley in South Asia.

It is also believed that Dilmun had commercial ties with ancient sites at Elam in Iran, Alba in Syria and Haittan in Turkey.

"For 4,000 years this site was underground so it was sheltered," he says. "Now after excavation, it is exposed to the elements. We have no immediate plans to carry out further excavations. We want to protect the site and to interpret what we have unearthed for visitors."

The Saar site is far from being the most significant relic of the Dilmun era. On the northern tip of the island, archaeological expeditions have uncovered seven successive levels of settlements at the Qal'at al Bahrain (the fort of Bahrain). Under the oldest and most extensive fort, three consecutive Dilmun cities as well as a Greek city dating back to 200 BC have been unearthed.

The site is impressive: the outer walls enclose an area of several hundred square metres. At its centre lie massive carved stones marking the entrance and walls of a chamber containing an altar once flanked by copper-faced pillars.

Next to it is another structure where the presence of blackened animal bones and charred earth suggest a chamber for sacrifices to the gods.

[Cronos]

from the article
On the other side of the central altar, a flight of carved steps leads down to a pool, a deep, stone-walled well built over one of the numerous underground springs where one of three principal Sumerian deities - Enki, the water-dwelling god of wisdom - supposedly lived.

The abundance of sweet water flowing from springs which still supply the island with much of its drinking water was one of the cornerstones of Dilmun. The island was an oasis of fertility in ancient times in a mainly desolate region. This could have given rise to a legend that Bahrain may even have been the biblical Garden of Eden.

"The belief system here has a lot in common with those of Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt," he says. "Belief in the after-life is shown by burying the dead with possessions such as tools, food, drinking vessels and gold. We've even found weapons."

Abdullah Hassan Yehia also explains that the Dilmun merchants had a monopoly of trade in copper, a precious commodity which was shipped from the mines of Oman to the cities of Mesopotamia.

[Norm Lenhart]

ping

[DoughtyOne]

Very cool Cronos. Thank you.

[gov_bean_ counter]

Probably more advanced than what currently exists on top of it...

[SatinDoll]

“The abundance of sweet water flowing from springs which still supply the island with much of its drinking water was one of the cornerstones of Dilmun. The island was an oasis of fertility in ancient times in a mainly desolate region. This could have given rise to a legend that Bahrain may even have been the biblical Garden of Eden.”

Close, but this isn’t ‘Horseshoes’. The Garden of Eden was nearby, according to ancient Hebrew texts. It is where that large mustard yellow oval is below where a second set of two rivers meat the main river channel flowing the length of the now drowned valley.

In really, REALLY ancient times, like 15,000 years ago, the Persian Gulf was dry land fed by many rivers. Dry land extended out past Ra’s al-jinz and across to Lothal. Sea level was about 400’ lower then than it is now because so much water was locked up in ice.

The ancient Hebrew texts state that the Garden of Eden was below where the Tigris and Euphrates joined, and was located below a two pairs of rivers joining the main river, both pairs of rivers now drowned.

[what's up]

Some say Dilmun was the Garden of Eden.

Eridu is the oldest city in the world (not on this map but South of Ur)...Dilmun is just South of that. Did Cain walk North of the Eden region and establish Eridu?

[SunkenCiv]

GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach	join list or digest view topics view or post blog bookmark post a topic subscribe
Thanks Norm Lenhart. To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.

[bigheadfred]

bfl

[submarinerswife]

I lived in Bahrain for a year. The biggest tourist destination for those of us broke, US Navy types, was the Tree of Life. This beautiful mesquite tree in the middle of the desert used as shade for wild goats and camels. There is no water source that far out in the sand.